The Kansas City Chiefs haven’t just opened the 2026 season 5-0 - they’ve looked every bit like a team rediscovering the formula that carried them to five Super Bowls in the last 10 years. Now they head to Seattle for a Sunday night matchup that will put that start under real pressure, with the Seahawks standing in the way and Chiefs superstar running back Kenneth Walker set to face his former team.
Kansas City has built this start on two pillars: the best run game in football and a top-five defense. That has been enough so far, but Seattle brings a different kind of challenge.
The Seahawks are the defending Super Bowl champions, and their defense is widely considered one of the best units in football. The Chiefs have answers if they execute cleanly, but they’ll need a sharp plan to make it work.
One of the first tests will be handling Seattle’s defensive structure. Mike Macdonald’s group is known for presenting complex, shifting looks that move players across the line of scrimmage and keep quarterbacks guessing.
Patrick Mahomes has become far better at diagnosing defenses over the years, and this game will ask plenty of him. Kansas City needs to get the calls in quickly, get lined up, and give Mahomes time to sort out the picture before the snap.
A key piece of that will be tracking where Nick Emmanwori lines up, since he’s often the player Seattle wants moving around before the play.
The Chiefs can also create problems for Seattle by getting their running backs involved in the passing game. The Seahawks have one of the best run defenses in football, and their defense will have extra motivation with former teammate Kenneth Walker coming back into the building.
At the same time, Seattle has been vulnerable in coverage, especially at linebacker. Walker and Emmett Johnson are not known first and foremost as pass catchers, but Kansas City can use that to its advantage by getting them the ball early and forcing those linebackers to react.
On the other side of the ball, Steve Spagnuolo has a straightforward path to stress Seattle’s offense: bring pressure. He doesn’t need much convincing to heat things up, and this matchup gives Kansas City a strong reason to lean into it.
Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold has historically had trouble when pressure arrives and when the blitz comes with it. The Chiefs should look to attack with force, including some corner and nickel blitzes from L’Jarius Sneed and Nohl Williams on early downs.
Kansas City can also use formation and personnel to force Seattle into an uncomfortable run game. The Seahawks have one of the worst rushing attacks in the NFL this season, and the Chiefs should try to keep it that way.
Seattle has already had to adjust after losing Kenneth Walker to the Chiefs, and the situation has only gotten worse with injuries to its top two backs and an offensive line that has struggled to generate much on the ground. With corners and safeties who tackle well, Kansas City can stay in nickel and dime looks, pack the back end with extra defensive backs, and make Seattle prove it can run the ball.
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